bongobobny

OK, I am going to ask a couple of seemingly stupid questions. I ass-u-me the starter is turning over at a fairly fast speed like whir chucka chucka whir chucka chucka at a lively tempo? The reason I ask is a low battery might not have enough cranking power to turn it over fast enough, AND a somewhat weak battery will turn the bike over but the voltage may drop low enough that the ignitor will not supply spark. Now, speaking of spark, when was the last time the plugs were replaced?? These bikes like to eat plugs and should be replaced pretty much on a yearly basis. If you spend the extra money on the iridium plugs they will last longer. I highly recommend using only NGK brand plugs. The last thing to check out concerning plugs is the plug wire caps, there is a 3 piece assembly (4 counting the screw out cap) that can and will cause problems. The guts inside consist of very small discs, springs, and a resistor element. They do get corroded and cause increased resistance resulting in a weaker spark. Coils, by the way, can and do sometimes go bad! Get yourself a spark gap tester to make sure you are getting a good hot enough spark to each plug. If I recall, the spec is something like 0.109 inches of spark or something like that. How old and dirty are the air cleaners?? Air cleaners are something that does indeed require periodic changing. Also, these bikes do not run very well without the air cleaners attached. Now for the carbs themselves. For me, mine requires full choke and no throttle to start cold. Once started do not blip the throttle for about 10 seconds or it will flood out and stall. Starts and runs fine every time that way! Now, if your carbs are not synchronized properly, or if the float bowl levels are not set properly, you will have problems starting. Improperly synchronized carburetors will also cause the bike to run a little hotter and lack a little throttle response and run rough. The last thing I'm going to ask is when is the last time the valve clearance was checked and adjusted?? One of the main symptoms of improper valve clearance adjustment is hard starting! Yamaha recommends checking the valve clearance every 25,000 to 35,000 mile I think, and definitely by 50,000 miles! So to sum it up, a 2002 is a 15-year-old bike so there are a few items that may start to give you problems if not addressed. Keep in mind that these bikes will give you well over 200,000 miles of trouble free service but only if you give them the periodic maintenance they deserve. They are one of the most reliable and comfortable touring bikes out there! So welcome to the forum, I hope this information will aid you in fixing your starting issues. I am assuming that it ran OK before this issue so I am kind of doubting you need to rebuild your carburetors but I would indeed check the float levels and once you get it running again synchronize your carbs using the proper gauges. There is detailed information on this site on how to do it. We also recommend regular use of a gas additive called Seafoam which tends to keep your fuel system and your carburetors clean. Speaking of fuel, I would drain your tank and make sure you do not have any contamination in the tank. Also, stupid question, you do have the petcock turned on, don't you? Is the fuel fresh? As was mentioned, the fuel pump has a special circuit on it! When you turn the key on the pump only runs for a couple of seconds and then shuts off UNTIL the bike is running then it turns on again. If your fuel bowls are empty, like the bike sat for a week or two, then you need to cycle the fuel pump a few times to fill the bowls. This can be done by either turning the key off and on or by cycling the kill switch off and on supposedly. Each time you cycle you should hear clicking for a few seconds until the fuel bowls are full and then you may or may not hear one or two clicks. Good luck and feel free to ask about each and every step, we are here to help!

OK one more thing to mention, do NOT overfill the reservoir with brake fluid!!! As the fluid heats, it expands and needs more room! If there is no room in the reservoir the fluid will build up pressure in the whole system and act just like you are applying the brakes. It is a common mistake to fill the reservoir right up to the top thinking that more fluid means more stopping power, which is not the case. It should be filled about 2/3 to 3/4 up only...

Well, at the time, several years ago now, the only ones I could find were OEM's. No, nothing really fancy about them, they are just flat rubber band type o-rings or seals, whichever you prefer to call them. I would strongly recommend you hone the cylinders while they are disassembled and make sure your o-ring grooves are meticulously cleaned to avoid any possible leakage. Try very hard not to put any gouges in the groves as that is the number one cause of leaking seals! Use a good amount of that red "grease" that they supply with the seals to also aid in proper sealing. The last thing I will recommend is to polish the pistons as best as possible, I actually used my buffing wheel for the final finish. If you plan on using an abrasive on the pistons, make sure the scratches go around the circumference of the piston, and not front to back which would give the hydraulic fluid a direct path to flow from inside the caliper to the outside world. I usually chemically soak mine followed by an ultrasonic bath and then the buffer, the smoother the surface, the better... You might want to try Earl for the kits, he is a great guy to deal with! Othe sources may be boats.net or partzilla. I was lucky with a couple of kits and found them on ebay for a good price, but you have to literally watch daily for a month or two sometimes...

..or broken or missing pedal return spring...

Yes, they just pop out, and yes, that's what I was referring to, the kits are just the rubber seals and assembly grease, and the kits are per side, or in other words, you need 2 kits per caliper at around $25 per kit...

Thanks for that tidbit of information Puc, Becky and I were both wondering when we watched the video. Of course, we will gladly pray about it!!

Hey Russell, Bongo Bob here! So sorry to hear of your recent struggles and sincerely hope things improve for you! We all miss you, great and wise Mr. Owl!! Sending prayers your way!

(points squirt gun at monitor) Why? Why?? Why?? ​DIE!! DIE!! DIE!!

OK, I'm going to go out in left field here, but is there a possibility you have the spacer on the rear axle in the wrong position?? If that spacer is in the wrong place it will misalign the caliper with the rotor and cause binding...

You're going to discover the rebuild kits for the calipers are a minor fortune, and they do no include the "o" rings for the left and right halves...

Partzilla had them new for $217 US...

Yup! It does not just slide out, it requires a little bending, twisting, and distorting to get it out. A few curse words sometimes help...

No, the fuel system is electrically more complex than that. Part of the fuel pump relay circuitry is a system that only allows the fuel pump to run for a few seconds UNTIL it detects a running bike! Until it sees a continuous pulse from the ignition meaning the bike is running, it will not turn the fuel pump back on after the initial few seconds of running. Turning the key on starts the sequence over again. That is why every time you turn the key on the fuel pump only runs for a few seconds and stops.

Getting back to post 1, it looks like your clear coat is no longer clear! Those two brighter areas are where you have sanded right through the clear coat, which probably just peeled due to age! Myself I would just use a good primer/sealer after sanding smooth, and repaint whatever color you fancy and whatever pattern you choose! If you have never painted before, find some junk you can practice on first, and watch some good videos on painting techniques, it is not really all that hard. You do not need elaborate equipment, just a good 20+ gallon compressor, a good regulator, a moisture trap, and a gun. You are painting smaller areas as opposed to painting a car, so chances are you will not have any major flaws. I like a gravity feed sprayer myself, inexpensive and easy to clean. When you price how much a professional painter will want for the job, it may very well justify the cost of buying the equipment for yourself and then have a good compressor for other jobs as well! EDIT: As FF pointed out above, yes use a respirator or at least a mask!! And yes, as he mentioned, outside painting can and will involve insects and other foreign matter!! Best time to paint is on a calm sunny day later in the morning. Yup, remember a friend painting racing stripes on his 442 later in the day, and then we both watched a big moth do a dance on his fresh wet white paint job!!!

Me 3...

Bubber, if you show up I'll make sure I'm there!! Been waaay too long Steve!

Sort of, but the Standard dash will not have the red Cruise light on it...

There are several different hitches out there, but I will mention the Hitch Doc as a well built one. Yu will need to use a 5 wire system to 4 wire system converter, I personally like the Hoppy as it is a good one and reasonably priced. All of the wires you need for the harness is located behind the license plate inside in that chrome bulbous thing...

The only difference was the Cruise control light on the MK1. Also, there is a difference between the '83 and '84 up dash with the CMU and clock, they are different locations and configuration, and the edge connectors for the wiring harness is different...

Gone deal, just prayed!

Looks a little bit like Don, although from a few years ago by the hair. I'm going with the square glasses...

Funny thing you should mention this Carl, just the other week someone was asking me whether you were up and running again!! Can't remember who it was we were talking to because I am getting old and senile! I think it was at Big Tom's retirement party...

First question, now, if you turn the key to the first position, the accessory position, does the radio work?? Then, if when you turn the switch to the ignition position does the radio still work?? If so you have the dreaded ignition switch failure, either the switch itself or the connector for the switch, which is located under the gas tank near the switch itself. The reason I ask this and the proof of the test is that the radio operates using a different set of contacts and wires than the rest of the bike uses. This is a common failure point on 2nd Generations...

Yup! A picture is worth a thousand words there!! Also, after that many years, the grease tends to turn into something more like glue...

No, bought each bearing and race, which is almost always sold together, separate...